Chemical company Lanxess has said that the current trend—especially among automotive manufacturers—to favour leather in pastel shade represents "a major challenge" for leather manufacturers. White or very light-coloured surfaces are, by their very nature, more susceptible to soiling.

As a result there is strong demand in the market for finishes that prevent leather from becoming soiled too quickly and that make it easier to clean.

To this end, Lanxess has launched a new system called Aquaderm X-Shield. Chemists and leather experts from the company, and from its Japanese partner in the venture, Daikin Industries, believe they have, for the first time, succeeded in anchoring organic, soil-repellent fluorine products firmly onto the surface of the leather so that they are not worn off by mechanical abrasion.

Lanxess's leather business unit will move now to bring the system to market for leather applications such as car seats, furniture and shoe uppers. At the same time, Daikin will use the technology to develop antisoiling products for other sectors, including other parts of the automotive segment, as well as the construction and aeronautical industries.

Lanxess leather expert Stefan Wildbrett said at the time of the launch of Aquaderm X-Shield: "Fashion trends have to be taken into consideration when choosing colours. Our task, therefore, as experienced manufacturers of leather finishes, was to offer our customers a means of meeting this challenge."

The trouble with conventional ways of tackling the problem is that the soil-repellent substances in coatings and finishes gradually wear off. Aquaderm X-Shield should prove more robust.

The antisoiling system has already gone through a rigorous series of trials and performed well with stains from a wide range of sources, including mustard, coffee, ketchup, marker pen inks, engine oil and even paprika powder.